Willing to accept Primary and Secondary students for Fall 2026
Research Interests
Children’s experiences in the legal system:
- Identification of current legal/forensic practices that are misaligned with children’s cognitive and social development.
- Develop empirically-based interviewing techniques that that maximize productivity and overcome reluctance, while minimizing risk of false report.
Current Projects
- Children’s understanding of time and number
- Children’s understanding of implied meaning
- Referential ambiguity in attorney/interviewer questions in child maltreatment cases
- The development of support tools for forensic interviewers (notetaking, wait time)
- Plea bargaining in cases of child sexual abuse
Recent Publications
McWilliams, K., Cameron, M. N., Wylie, B. E., Lyon, T. D., & Klemfuss, J. Z. (in press). Adults’ ability to detect the pseudotemporal problem when children give “I don’t know” responses. Child Maltreatment.
Shiau, A. Y. A., Schick, K. D., McWilliams, K., & DeWit‑Williams, S. (2025). Gender differences in sports‑related child maltreatment: A systematic review.Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. Advance online publication.
Shiau, A. Y. A., Schick, K. D., McWilliams, K., & DeWit‑Williams, S. (2025). Exploring forensic interviewers’ wait time practices with child witnesses. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000465
Cameron, M. N., Merriwether, E. P., Katzman, J., Stolzenberg, S. N., Evans, A. D., & McWilliams, K. (2025). Attorneys’ questions about time in criminal cases of alleged child sexual abuse. Child Maltreatment, 30(2), 266‑277. https://doi.org/10.1177/10775595241271426
Sobrilsky, L., Wylie, B. E., McWilliams, K., Evans, A. D., & Stolzenberg, S. N. (2025). U.S. Defense Attorneys’ Implicit Questioning of Children in Child Sexual Assault Trials. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605251327393
Chae, H., & McWilliams, K. (2025). When a battered victim kills their abuser: The impact of child and expert testimony on mock jurors’ decision‑making. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 40(17‑18), 4010‑4032. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605241284662
Shiau, A. Y. A., & Williams, S., & McWilliams, K. (2024). The role of wait time during the questioning of children: A systematic review.Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25(5), 3441‑3456. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380241246793
Williams, S. & McWilliams, K. (2024). “Just to Jog My Memory”: An examination of forensic interviewers’ note‑taking behaviors and perceptions of notes with child witnesses. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 39(21‑22). https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605241243346
Wylie, B. E., Evans, A. D., McWilliams, K., & Stolzenberg, S. N. (2024). Children’s acquiescence to implied coaching questions: Transgressions, disclosure veracity, and parental support. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 95, Article 101725
Campbell, S., Baker, M., McWilliams, K., & Williams, S. (2024). Child maltreatment and pediatric pain: A survey of healthcare professionals’ pain knowledge and pain management techniques. Journal of Child Health Care, 28(4), 774–785. https://doi.org/10.1177/13674935231167965
Baker, M., Campbell, S., Patel, K., McWilliams, K., & Williams, S. (2024). An examination of questioning methods and the influence of child maltreatment on paediatric pain assessments: Perspectives of healthcare providers. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 30(3), 367‑375. https://doi.org/10.1111/jep.13950
Fessinger, M. B., McAuliff, B. D., Aronson, E., & McWilliams, K. (2024). Attorneys’ experiences, perceptions, and plea recommendations in child sexual abuse cases. Law and Human Behavior, 48(1), 13–32. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000551
